A Taliban bomb killed Plymouth based Royal Marine Nigel Mead who was just 19 years of age, as he searched a compound in the loy Mandeh Wadi area of the Nad-e Ali north district in Helmand province Afghanistan. His untimely death makes him the 365th British servicemen and woman killed since 2001.

He is the 1st Plymouth-based serviceman from Stonehouse-based 3 COMMANDO brigade to die since they took control of security in Southern Afghanistan last month.

I am doing something that I have wanted to do for years now. I wouldn’t say I am living the dream – far from it – I am expelling nightmares.

I have been told so many times to let my past go and to move on with my life by the very same people who have stood and argued because they were short-changed by a penny at the local shop. When buying a car we look around and we never choose to buy an old rusty bucket. When buying food we wouldn’t buy meat that was rotting and full of flies.

When I was first told I was to have a permanent ileostomy I was in so much pain I would have welcomed almost any suggestion if it meant getting rid of it! However, I was not truly prepared for the consequences of living with this procedure yet I hope this blog entry will be useful to others who have recently had it done, or are due to.

After I’d had the procedure and ventured into town as normal, shopping etc, I felt very self conscious and was sure everyone could see the little bulge through my clothes as the ileostomy bag seemed to me to hang idly inside my clothing.

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I have decided to go ahead and delve into the world of Garra fish pedicure, I just hope it all works out okay. I have the units on order and all that is needed are the fish! what a long weeks its been, but soon the business will be up and running and life can resume back to normal- well, as normal as my life has and always will be.